Corporators push wives into public life

bangalore: corporators who pushed their wives into the fray, a la laloo prasad yadav, have also taken on the job of training and seasoning the spouse - to cope with rivals, voters, campaign pressure, and in general, the trappings of public life. while some women who have thrown hats into the ring are educated go-getters, a few are tradition-bound kitchen queens.sudden exposure to the bcc council battle has left some women contestants groping. to cope, they are being put through short-term, intensive courses in personality development, by none other than their spouses, who hope to do some back-seat driving. many pick up the nuances of politics while canvassing. like kempegowdanagar corporator p.n. sadashiva's wife geetha, who is shy and can barely converse with strangers. "she is shedding her shyness," says sadashiva, whose primary task is to prepare her to handle campaigning pressures as polls loom large. geetha has started trailing her husband on campaign, though it ought to be the other way round. the couple is on a door-to-door lobbying spree, informing residents about sadashiva's contributions during his tenure. similarly, dhanalakshmi muralidharan, wife of sitting corporator b.r. muralidharan from prakashnagar, is contesting as an independent. "please ask my husband whatever you want to know," is her first reaction. after a little prodding, dhanalakshmi concedes the contest is tough. "i am going with my husband and meeting people. we have prepared a book listing out his contributions to the area. he has also listed out my commitments to the ward. but my opponents are strong." on the other hand, anasuya huchappa, wife of former mayor j. huchappa, is enthusiastic. she has been a silent observer of politics as huchappa, a senior corporator, has held high posts in the bcc. anasuya is also banking on her husband's popularity. "he was totally involved in the development of the area ever since we got married." anasuya huchappa is independently doing the canvassing rounds and has a large following of women supporters. dr prathima, doing post-graduation in medicine, is contesting from cv raman nagar on a bjp ticket. she is sitting corporator raghu's wife. "prathima is educated, smart and outgoing. she can understand issues, so the party decided to field her," says a bjp leader. aspirant a.g. pushpalatha, contesting as an independent from richmond ward, is backed by her husband, sevenraj, who is into the real estate business. he has a clever strategy of drumming up support for his wife - using his well-knit connections in the real estate field in richmond town to spread the word. pushpalatha, a diploma holder in journalism, has promised to improve and maintain basic amenities, if elected. in other unreserved wards, wives are campaigning shoulder-to-shoulder with husbands in the fray, as the contest draws to a close. all in the belief that the couple that strives together, thrives together.